Sefko: Mavs pin playoff hopes on old-timers Carter, Marion

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Brad Loper/Staff Photographer

Dallas Mavericks point guard Darren Collison (4) is fouled by Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) as he drives the lane against Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) in the first half of NBA Basketball action at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday, February 6, 2013. (Brad Loper/Staff Photographer)

Vince Carter and Shawn Marion know the situation. The Mavericks, still eyeballing the playoffs like a mirage on the horizon, won’t get anywhere close to that goal if Carter and Marion don’t keep cheating Father Time and doing what they do.

Carter, 36, heard the talk two seasons back when he was in Phoenix that he was washed up.

Marion, 34, has heard doubters, too. When he went through Miami and Toronto, people figured he’d never be the double-double machine he used to be in Phoenix.

In unison, they are saying: Take that, haters.

This season is proving that Dirk Nowitzki can’t do it by himself anymore. At least not right now. So Carter and Marion, two old dudes who once were superstars but now just do the job like athletic professionals are supposed to, have done their best to be the supporting actors.

“Me being that other guy makes them make a decision,” said Carter, who has averaged 17.6 points in his last eight games. “Do you leave Dirk? Do you leave O.J. [Mayo] or young fellow [Darren Collison]? There’s so many options now. It just so happens I’m scoring that many points.

“But more importantly, the ball’s moving. It’s not so much about me stepping up. It’s moreso taking advantage of opportunities that are there.”

We respectfully beg to differ. It’s about Carter knocking down 3-pointers.

“Nothing’s changed there,” he said, referring to the nearly 1,600 triples he’s made. And it’s about him unleashing the occasional flashback to his “Half Man-Half Amazing” days, as he did with two unreal streaks to the basket Wednesday against Portland.

And then there’s Marion, who has a simple answer when asked if he can still be the guy who routinely gets 10-plus rebounds and can score from pretty much all angles and distances on the court.

“Oh, hell yeah, you’re damn right,” he said. “I’m a warrior. I can. But you got to get the opportunity to do it. You can’t do it if you get inconsistent opportunities. But you know I can do it.”

So does coach Rick Carlisle. If Marion is the MVP of the Mavericks so far this season (and he is), then Carter is the runner-up.

It’s been obvious this season that Carter has not lost all of his athleticism. Just about every game, he gives the defender an eyebrow fake — it doesn’t even take the full head fake sometimes — and then slashes to the rim like he’s 10 years younger. He has made people in Phoenix rue the day they let him walk away.

“I felt pretty good then,” Carter said. “I will say I feel even better, I put my work in after that summer because it kind of bothered me to even hear somebody think that [he was done]. I felt physically able to contribute and be effective for any team, whether it’s a team system or one-on-one situation or whatever. I took the punch, but it made for a great summer for me.”

All Marion does is lead the Mavericks in rebounding at more than eight per game. And it’s not even close. In three of the last four games, he’s had a double-double. In the game he didn’t have double-figure rebounds, he had a season-best 23 points.

Since Jan. 10, Marion has averaged 15.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

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